By 2050 it will be almost impossible to find a seabird that hasn’t eaten plastic, predicts a new Australian study. The research, published in the journal PNAS, assessed how widespread the threat of plastic is for the world’s seabirds, including albatrosses, shearwaters and penguins. Based on analysis of published studies since the early 1960s, the […]

Almost 269,000 tonnes of plastic pollution may be floating in the world’s oceans, according a team of scientists from around the globe, including New Zealand, whose research was published today in the journal PLOS ONE. The team included researchers from Dumpark Data Science and eCoast, who combined ocean current modelling with data on plastic pollution collected […]

Michael Dickison writes in the New Zealand Herald about work by NZ scientists which has allowed kiwifruit to be turned into plastic, and sewage into electricity. The work, carried out by CRI Scion, has meant the development of a chemical process which makes kiwifruit melt like plastic in normal factory equipment. Another process allows the […]

Steve Connor of the New Zealand Herald writes about the newest threat posed to our oceans: the chemicals produced when plastic decay in them. An excerpt: (read in full here) “A study has found that as plastics break down in the sea they release potentially toxic substances not found in nature and which could affect […]

Living in a world where commercial products are continuously getting smarter and smaller, it’s no surprise that scientific research is moving towards the development of new materials on the nano-scale. Nature already accomplishes this extremely effectively. For example, Geckos have complex nano-patterns imprinted on their feet, which allows them to stick to ceilings, and even […]

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Reporter Paul Gorman departs The Press after 14 years, including a stint spent getting to grips with earthquake science.
Paul takes up a position as senior communications advisor at the University of Otago at the end of January, moving south to Dunedin to immerse himself in research – and assist scientists communicate it.
Over the years... >> Read Full Post